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advocacy
A profession at the tipping
point (revisited)
By Karen Bonanno
Biography
Karen Bonanno is Managing Director of Eduwebinar Pty Ltd. Karen
literally lives online as an educator and consultant. Her main area of
work involves planning and hosting webinars that cover primary and
secondary education with specific focus on innovative teaching and
learning strategies and resourcing as it applies to curriculum design and
delivery.
At the end of May 2014 I stepped down
as CEO of the Australian School Library
Association (ASLA) after 12 years in the
position of Executive Officer and then Chief
Executive Officer. The vice-president, Sandy
Amoore, asked me to provide a reflection on
my term in office and some thoughts for the
profession.
Reflection
A significant achievement during my term
was the activity and engagement around
the Federal Government Inquiry into school
libraries and teacher librarians in Australian
schools (House of Representatives, Standing
Committee on Education and Employment).
For the last several years this involved
joint efforts of library and school library
associations,advocates and teacher librarian
higher education schools contributing to
research, activities and campaigns in the
lead-up to the announcement of the inquiry
(10 March 2010), the submission process,
the public hearings, the meetings with
Members of Parliament, the reinstatement
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March 2015 ACCESS
of the committee (23 November 2010)
followed by more public hearings, the
inquiry committee report (March 2011), the
analysis of the report, and the follow-up
advocacy and research projects to maintain
momentum and interest.
At the 2011 ASLA Biennial Conference
held in Sydney, the chair of the Inquiry
committee, Amanda Rishworth MP, opened
the conference. I was honoured to be able to
present a keynote address, ‘A profession at
the tipping point: time to change the game
plan’ (Bonanno 2011) which addressed the
invisibility of the profession, a key aspect
identified during the Inquiry, and strategies
to progress forward. It is timely to revisit
this thought preferably with a glass half full
approach.
Past, present, future
The following quote from the American
Library Association (ALA) President, Barbara
Stripling, provides a good springboard for
reflecting on the past, contemplating the
present and focusing on the future.
advocacy
Teacher librarians, with an awareness of the
Australian Curriculum resource needs, are in a
better position to purchase selectively to cater
for across curriculum content relevancy.
On one hand, budget and testing pressures
have led to decisions to eliminate or deprofessionalize school libraries. On the
other hand, the increased emphasis on
college and career readiness and the
integration of technology have opened an
unprecedented door to school librarian
leadership (Stripling 2014).
The similarities between the state of school
libraries in the USA and Australia are worth
considering in the context of survey findings
in Australia and the Australian Curriculum.
Budget pressures
Since 2010, Softlink has been undertaking
an annual survey to examine key trends
and issues impacting school libraries in
Australia. Annually, the findings identify
positive links between school achievement
in NAPLAN and well-resourced school
libraries.
The 2014 findings indicate fewer schools
reporting budget decreases compared to
the previous year. The 2014 survey received
a record of 1380 responses (biggest number
since the survey commenced in 2010).
There is a slight indication that budgets
are stabilising whilst there is still the need
for schools to be frugal in their purchases
to build the collection with limited budget
allocations. Teacher librarians, with an
awareness of the Australian Curriculum
resource needs, are in a better position to
purchase selectively to cater for across
curriculum content relevancy. They are
capable of getting more bang for their buck.
In addition, they are able to leverage the
contemporary features of their library
management system and integrate with
the learning management system to make
information and resources more accessible
to users.
A hybrid library (print and electronic)
is becoming the reality for schools. In
2014, 22% of respondents indicated that
e-book and e-resources were added to
their collection, with 55% of respondents
indicating ‘definitely’ or ‘most probably’
Table 1: Change in School Library Budgets: Previous Year Comparison (Softlink 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Year
Increased
Did not change
Decreased
2014
19
52
29
2013
19
48
33
2012
26
52
22
2011
20
52
28
March 2015 ACCESS
15
Program – Literacy and Numeracy and My School website and the average annual library budget
allocation to these schools. More information will be available in the 2014 Australian School Library
Report which is expected to be published in February 2015. Please check the softlinkint.com website
under “News” around this time.
advocacy
Figure 1: Comparison of Reading Literacy Results for each Year Group with Average School Library
Figure
5: Comparison
of Reading
Literacy
Budget,
Australia 2014
(Softlink
2014)Results for each Year Group with Average School Library Budget, Australia 2014
Average School Library Budget
$40,000.00
$35,000.00
$30,000.00
$25,000.00
$20,000.00
Year 3 Reading Literacy
$15,000.00
Year 5 Reading Literacy
$10,000.00
Year 7 Reading Literacy
$5,000.00
$0.00
Year 9 Reading Literacy
School "Below" School "Close School "Above"
or "Substantially To" national or "Substantially
Below" national
average
Above" national
average
average
NAPLAN Result Category
purchasing e-books within the next 12
months (Softlink 2014). Similar percentages
were reported in 2012 and 2013 (Softlink
2012 & 2013). Even so, the number of e-books
or e-resources only make up, on average,
5% of current collections. This scenario is
also reflected in US K–12 school libraries.
In the fifth annual survey, Ebook usage in US
school (K–12) libraries, the median number
of e-books per school remains low at 189
titles in comparison to 11,300 print books in
a school collection (School Library Journal
2014, p.4). The lack of e-reading devices
is cited as the top reason for not making
e-books available. In addition, slow growth
and low usage is attributed to the cost of
e-books and e-readers for the school, and
user preference (teachers and students) is
still focused on print books for curriculumrelated purposes.
Deloitte predicts that in 2015 print will
generate the majority of book sales as e-book
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March 2015 ACCESS
sales hit a plateau in major markets such as
the UK, US and Canada (Lee et al. 2015, p.
38). Younger readers are still reading print
as it remains the foundation of individuals’
reading habits (Zickuhr & Rainie 2014).
It will be important for teacher librarians to
be attentive to the immediate information
needs of their school community and how
they can creatively address resource
provision within budget constraints. In
addition, being alert to the developments
and availability of relevant e-book and
e-resources and how these can be
acquired through local or state consortium
arrangements will be advantageous.
Engagement in personal learning networks
or attendance at seminars/workshops
on collection development, access to and
dissemination of information and resources,
and advanced use of features/tools of
the library management system will be
beneficial.
Year 9 Reading
0.34
0.38
0.35
0.30
advocacy
Figure 14 below graphs the correlation of literacy results with the number of school library staff in
Australian School Libraries.
Total Number of Library Staff (Full-Time
Equivalent)
Figure
2: Comparison
Reading
Literacy
Results
for Year
eachGroup
Year with
Group
with Average
Number
of School
Figure 14:
Comparison ofofReading
Literacy
Results
for each
Average
Number of
School Library
Staff
Library Staff (Softlink 2013)
4
3.5
3
2.5
Year 3 Reading Literacy
2
Year 5 Reading Literacy
1.5
Year 7 Reading Literacy
1
Year 9 Reading Literacy
0.5
0
School "Below" or
"Substantially
Below" national
average
School "Close To"
national average
School "Above" or
"Substantially
Above" national
average
For
fourth
year,
the survey is
results
have proven a positive
correlation
library staffing
Ofthe
signifi
cant
importance
the consistent
• gaining
formalbetween
and informal
feedback
numbers
NAPLAN
results. of practice in all
from the principal, teachers, students or
need toand
gather
evidence
parents
aspects of the role. Evidence that is captured
from within the local school community is
• documenting library usage, for example,
the most relevant and pertinent information
loans and database use statistics
to guide the direction of the school library.
• engaging with an online community,
It is imperative that the school library’s
for example, an online forum or blog
strategic direction reflects the school’s
(Gillespie & Hughes 2014, p. 30).
overall
plan.
Matching
evidence
to
achieving
16
© Softlink Australia
www.softlinkint.com
the school’s strategic plan
can be powerful.
Standardised testing pressures
Gillespie and Hughes (2014) provide some Each year the Softlink Australian School
examples of where teacher librarians can Library survey results (2010, 2011, 2012,
gather evidence:
2013, 2014) identify a positive correlation
• observing students using resources for
study-related purposes
• attending a formal presentation, such as
a conference
• reading a scholarly articles or report
• having an informal conversation with
other teacher librarians or teaching
colleagues
between:
1) School library budgets and literacy
levels, and
2) School library staffing and literacy
levels.
The findings support the position that wellfunded and adequately staffed school libraries
directly impact student achievement.
March 2015 ACCESS
17
advocacy
Table 2: School Library Staffing Trends: Previous Year Comparison (Softlink 2012, 2013, 2014)
Year
Increased
No change
Decreased
2014
6
69
25
2013
9
63
28
2012
9
69
22
The Library industry outlook (University of
Southern California 2015) predicts growth
at a slower pace between 2012 and 2022
for the library and information science (LIS)
sector and, as library users expect more
technological services, identifies growth
areas for employment. New jobs will emerge
in the LIS sector, for example, information
systems manager, data curators and
managers, data preservationists, digital
asset managers.
Across Australia, in the last five years, there
has been a drop in the number of library
and information professional positions
in the workforce (Australian Library and
Information Association 2014a, p. 12).
The Australian Library and Information
Association (ALIA) predicts there will be
competition for jobs and indicate a modest
increase in the number of positions available
over the next five years, especially as baby
boomers retire.
Within the Australian schools the following
full-time equivalent (FTE) staff numbers
have been identified:
K–12 school libraries had the highest
number of FTE staff with an average of
3.46 per school. The average for secondary
school libraries was 2.96. FTE staff for
primary school libraries was 1.52. These
averages are slightly higher than findings
in 2013, which appears to be a result of
the larger sample size (1380 as opposed to
800) (Softlink 2014).
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March 2015 ACCESS
Some of the specialist skills teacher
librarians bring to the role, as identified
in the Future of the library and information
science profession: school libraries, include:
• understanding learners and their needs
• collaborating with teachers to plan and
implement information literacy and
literature programs
• ensuring the school library collection
supports the school curriculum and
community
• using technologies as teaching and
learning tools
• creating effective learning environments
• participating in the school and wider
learning community (ALIA 2014b, p. 3).
As new roles evolve and users expect
more technological services, there will be
a hiring trend towards finding staff with a
strong digital or technology background
(Johnson et al. 2014a, pp. 22¬–23). As
schools incorporate new technologies and
methods into teaching and learning there
is a need for teacher librarians to ensure
their knowledge and skills are kept up to
date. Ongoing education and continuing
professional learning will be extremely
important in a tight and competitive market.
The vast majority of parents of children
younger than 18 feel libraries are very
important for their children.
Parents indicate libraries are important
because they:
advocacy
• help their children to develop a love of
reading and books
• provide their children with access to
information and resources not available
at home
• are a safe place for children
• offer programs and classes for children
and teens (Miller et al. 2013).
As a result, these parents are more likely
to be strong advocates for retaining or
expanding the school library space and
services. ‘Parents will be the most effective
advocates for investment in school libraries
and it will be essential for the future success
of school libraries to raise awareness of
what can be achieved with a well-staffed,
well-resourced library’ (ALIA 2014b, p. 10).
collaboration), and information, media
and technology skills (that is, information
literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, and
ICT literacy)’ (Braun et al. 2014, p. 3). Many
of these skills are at the core on the inquiry
skills strands in the Australian Curriculum.
Teacher librarians are well placed to
address the integration and delivery of
these skills, either through collaboratively
developed classroom programs or library
programs and services. They can help to
identify a pedagogical framework to support
the development of skill acquisition, build
staff competencies in new literacies, design
and deliver classroom programs to support
effective teaching and learning of future
skills, and provide creative and innovative
learning spaces and environments.
Teacher librarians must be able to address
the development of new literacy skills
so that students can evaluate and make
sense of text in all formats and be creators
and communicators of their ideas and
thoughts. Providing the resources, tools
and programs, physically and virtually, is
an all-encompassing task for the teacher
librarian. Again, attention to capturing
evidence on student engagement with the
resources, tools and programs, provided
by and through the school library, will be
necessary for future sustainability of the
profession.
Integration of technology
Bring your own device (BYOD) has been
identified as a digital strategy that will have
an impact on schools and school libraries
over the next couple of years (Johnson
et al. 2014b, pp. 34–35, Softlink 2013, pp.
18–19). A mobile device becomes the tool
for users to access their personal working
environment and the school’s learning
spaces. This student-centred approach will
have an impact on the information services
and programs offered by the school library
as students use the devices at school, inside
and outside the classroom.
Career and college readiness
The Young Adult Literacy Services
Association (YALSA) forum report (Braun
et al. 2014) indicates that today’s teens will
need to have a skill set that goes beyond
the traditional academic skills. The report
states that the expanded skill set ‘includes
learning and innovation skills (that is,
creativity and innovation, critical thinking
and problem solving, communication and
With a focus on future skill development and
integration of technology, it is imperative
that teacher librarians build their capacity
to engage in and provide leadership in
these areas as they relate specifically to
the school library. Capacity building is a
term that describes a process of equipping
teacher librarians with the knowledge, skills
and attitudes to enable them to address
change and achieve the desired educational
March 2015 ACCESS
19
advocacy
outcomes. In ‘Learning and literacy for the
future: building capacity’ three elements
are presented as core to a capacity building
framework for teacher librarians:
• Professional learning: attendance at
seminars, workshops, or information
session provided by another. These can
be internal to the school or from an
external agency.
• Professional reading/research:
maintaining current knowledge of
pedagogy, learning theories and
information through access to physical
or online resources.
• Professional dialogue/practice: either
an informal or formal discussion/
conversation or activity about
knowledge and practice learnt from
professional learning or reading with
other professionals (Wall & Bonanno
2014, p. 23).
Play it forward
Keeping up to date is one of the main
challenges facing any professional. The top
three preferences of members of professional
associations to receive information to help
them stay abreast of developments in their
respective profession are email, industry
journals,
and
conferences/seminars/
meetings (Survey Matters 2013, pp. 55–57).
Online media options that are actively used
to seek information about their profession
include the associations’ website, searching
Google,
webinars/podcasts,
LinkedIn,
Facebook, blogs, Twitter (Survey Matters
2013, pp. 58–59).
Many within the school library profession
engage in these channels of communication.
In developing the literacy skills of young
people so they become productive
consumers and creators of information,
the professional needs to adopt a similar
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March 2015 ACCESS
process; be consumers as well as
contributors to the ongoing professional
conversation to sustain the viability of
school libraries and teacher librarianship.
With a glass half full approach, share your
experience and evidence, challenges and
solutions, professional learning reflections
and thoughts, advocacy activities and
ideas, and school library programs and
services using the identified channels of
communication that professionals prefer
to keep up to date and stay abreast of the
happenings within the education sector.
References
Australian
Library
and
Information
Association 2014a, ALIA LIS Education,
skills and employment trend report 2014,
ALIA, Canberra, ACT. Viewed 27 January
2015, from https://www.alia.org.au/sites/
default/files/ALIA-LIS-Education-Skillsand-Employment-Trend-Report-2014.pdf
Australian
Library
and
Information
Association 2014b, Future of the library
and information science profession: school
libraries, ALIA, Canberra, ACT. Viewed 28
January 2015, from https://alia.org.au/
sites/default/files/ALIA-Future-of-the-LISProfession-05-Schools_0.pdf
Bonanno, K 2011, A professional at the
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http://kb.com.au/profession-tipping-point/
Braun, LW, Hartman, ML, Hughes-Hassell,
S, Kumasi, K & Yoke, B 2014, The future of
library services for and with teens: a call
to action, Young Adult Library Services
Association, a division of the American
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org/yaforum/sites/ala.org.yaforum/files/
content/YALSA_nationalforum_final.pdf
advocacy
Gillespie, A & Hughes, H 2014, ‘Snapshots
of teacher librarians as evidence-based
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Australian
schools,
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Johnson, L, Adams Becker, S, Estrada,
V & Freeman, A 2014b, NMC Horizon
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Softlink 2010, Submission to the inquiry
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K 2013, Parents, children, libraries, and
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